Check in each day of this week’s U.S. Open for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topic in the tournament, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com.
Day 1 of the 120th U.S. Open is in the books. Justin Thomas set the pace, firing a five-under 65 to record the lowest round ever at a Winged Foot U.S. Open. But he’s not the only one who went low. Twenty-one players shot under par and 11 more are at even par. Wasn’t this place supposed to be a brutal test? Did Winged Foot play too easy in Round 1, and what do you expect to see come Friday?
Sean Zak, senior editor (@Sean_Zak): Clearly it played easy, but is there anything wrong with easing our way into this thing? There was no obvious benefit in terms of morning/afternoon draw. They won’t cut the grass again, won’t apply much water, and will toughen up the pin locations. I think today was just fine.
Michael Bamberger, senior writer: No. They had to get the players around before dark and barely did. This was the day to score. All good.
Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): It’s fall golf in New York. With such cool mornings and evenings, this course was never going to be Shinnecock in late June. If there was a miss today, it was the pins. Two aces on the same hole — that ain’t the Open, that’s 16 on Masters Sunday. But give this beast time. The rough will grow over the next three days and no doubt the crew will suck some moisture out of the greens. The Foot might, and likely will, do some a**-kicking yet.
Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): I would have liked to have seen it play a little tougher, but better to err on the side of forgiveness on Thursday. Get things too firm and fast right out of the gate, and you risk losing the course as the week goes on. There’s still plenty of time for them to toughen it up, which they will. The greens will get firmer. The pins will get less friendly. And the sadists among us will have lots to cheer about. The winning score will be nowhere as deep as where Thomas took it today.
Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): Too easy! The entire idea of this U.S. Open, as stated by Winged Foot’s director of golf courses, was to provide a firm, fast, fair test. The greens were big-time soft; players were shocked by how much their balls were spinning. So I think they missed their mark, though just by a little bit. Still, plenty of time to dial up something a little spicier for the next three days. Also, Bamberger does have a point about the light.
Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): It’s fall golf in New York. With such cool mornings and evenings, this course was never going to be Shinnecock in late June. If there was a miss today, it was the pins. Two aces on the same hole — that ain’t the Open, that’s 16 on Masters Sunday. But give this beast time. The rough will grow over the next three days and no doubt the crew will suck some moisture out of the greens. The Foot might, and likely will, do some ass-kicking yet.
Luke Kerr-Dineen, instruction editor (@LukeKerrDineen): Yes, it played a little easy, perhaps, but I’m giving the USGA the benefit of the doubt that they’ll toughen up the course over the ensuing days. Ultimately, Justin Thomas is leading because he played really, really well. He was one of just two players (Rory was the other) who ranked in the top 10 in both fairways hit and greens in regulation, so I’m not buying all the U.S. Open-has-gone-soft takes. The truth us, those making that argument are only happy when they get to complain about how unfair the course is.
Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): I think it was fair. Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right, Goldilocks. Justin Thomas is at five under. A fair number. Twenty-one players under par. A fair number. And 113 players are over par. It’ll get harder going forward — tougher pins, the mowers might stay in the barn, the greens might get a little thirsty — but, all in all, a fair first day.
